Practice
Money idioms: meaning, context, and register
Sign in to saveWhen Noor says a new phone would break the bank, she is not worried about a damaged building. She means that the phone costs more than she can comfortably spend.
Use the situation and register to understand and choose common English idioms about prices, earning, spending, and saving.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
tighten your belt /ˈtaɪtn jə belt/
The short answer
Understand a money idiom as a complete phrase. Break the bank means cost more than someone can afford or wants to spend. Tighten your belt means reduce spending for a period. The event around the phrase shows which meaning fits.
After her work hours were reduced, Priya decided to tighten her belt for a few months.
Why it works: Her lower income gives the phrase the meaning of spending less.
6 more examples
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The repairs would break the bank, so Jamal asked for another estimate.
Jamal looks for another estimate because the repairs seem too expensive for his budget.
Not this:The repairs were
within Jamal's budget, so he accepted the first estimate. What changes: This means the price was affordable, which is the opposite of breaking the bank. -
We paid through the nose for a taxi after the last train left.
The missed train and the speaker's complaint show that the taxi fare felt unreasonably high.
Not this:We paid
a fair pricefor a taxi after the last train left. What changes: This describes an acceptable cost without the annoyance or exaggeration in the idiom. -
After the rent increased, Elena tightened her belt and cooked at home more often.
Cooking at home is one way Elena reduces her spending after a higher regular cost.
Not this:After the rent increased, Elena
spent moreon restaurant meals. What changes: Spending more is the opposite response to tightening your belt. -
Mika brings home the bacon while her partner studies for a new qualification.
Mika earns the income that supports the household during this period.
Not this:Mika
bought baconfor breakfast before her partner's class. What changes: Here bacon is food, so the meaning is literal. -
A gift card burns a hole in Arman's pocket, so he spends it the same day.
Arman feels a strong wish to spend the available money quickly.
Not this:Arman put the gift card in a drawer and
saved it for later. What changes: Saving the card shows patience instead of a quick urge to spend. -
During university, Ana lived on a shoestring and shared a small flat with two friends.
Sharing the flat helps Ana manage with a very small amount of money.
Not this:During university, Ana had
enough moneyfor her own flat. What changes: This describes a more comfortable budget than living on a shoestring.
Read the full guide
Do not translate a money idiom word by word. Ask what has happened and what the speaker plans to do next. A high price, a smaller budget, or an unexpected purchase usually gives a clear clue. Then check whether the phrase suits a relaxed conversation or a more formal message.
Read the situation before the image
The words in a money idiom can create a picture, but the picture is rarely the literal meaning. Look for a clue in the event. A request for another estimate suggests a price problem. A plan to eat at home suggests that someone needs to spend less.
The holiday looked perfect, but the hotel price would break the bank.
The speaker likes the holiday but thinks the hotel is too expensive.
Does break the bank mean that a bank has a physical problem?
No. It means that something costs more than a person can comfortably afford.
Describe a price that feels too high
Use break the bank when a cost is beyond a budget or feels too large. Use pay through the nose when you want to complain that a price was very high. Both are informal. The second phrase often sounds more annoyed because it suggests that the price was unfair.
I paid through the nose for a sandwich at the airport.
The speaker thinks the sandwich cost far more than it should have.
A used desk will not break the bank.
The desk is expected to be affordable.
Talk about spending less or having little money
Tighten your belt means reduce spending, often for a limited time. Live on a shoestring means manage with very little money. Both phrases can describe a careful budget, but they do different jobs. One is an action to control spending; the other describes the size of the budget.
We are tightening our belts until the car loan is paid.
The speakers plan to reduce spending until a regular payment ends.
Which phrase describes a student who manages with a very small weekly budget?
The student may live on a shoestring.
Talk about earning and wanting to spend
Bring home the bacon means earn money for yourself or for a household. Money burns a hole in your pocket means you want to spend money soon after getting it. The first phrase is about income. The second is about a spending habit or temptation.
After her first summer job, Leila's pay burned a hole in her pocket.
Leila wanted to spend her new money quickly.
For now, Ken brings home the bacon while his brother looks for work.
Ken is the person earning income at the moment.
Choose the right register
Money idioms work well in a chat with friends, a personal story, or relaxed workplace conversation. They can be unclear in documents where people need exact information. State the price, payment date, or budget limit directly in a formal message.
Informal: The repair bill nearly broke the bank.
Formal: The repair bill was £780, which is above the approved budget.
Which version belongs in a request for a reimbursement?
Use the formal version with the exact amount and the relevant budget information.
Before you go
Remember this
Read the whole situation before you interpret a money idiom. Break the bank and pay through the nose describe a very high cost. Tighten your belt describes reducing spending. Bring home the bacon refers to earning income. Money burns a hole in your pocket describes an urge to spend, and live on a shoestring describes a small budget.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Money idioms: meaning, context, and register"
How can I understand a money idiom in English?
Read the event around the phrase before you focus on its individual words. A price, a budget decision, or a speaker's reaction usually shows whether the idiom refers to spending, earning, saving, or a feeling about money.
The repairs would break the bank, so Jamal asked for another estimate.
What does break the bank mean?
Break the bank means cost more than someone can comfortably afford or wants to spend. It is an informal way to say that a price is too high for a particular budget.
The repairs were within Jamal's budget, so he accepted the first estimate.
What does tighten your belt mean?
Tighten your belt means reduce spending because money is limited. People often use it when they need to change their budget for a while after a cost rises or income falls.
We paid through the nose for a taxi after the last train left.
What does bring home the bacon mean?
Bring home the bacon means earn money to support yourself or a household. The phrase is informal and refers to income, not to buying or cooking food.
We paid a fair price for a taxi after the last train left.
Should I use money idioms in formal writing?
Use direct language and exact figures when the reader needs financial information. An idiom may suit a relaxed conversation, but an invoice, application, report, or reimbursement request needs a clear amount and purpose.
After the rent increased, Elena tightened her belt and cooked at home more often.